Mary Walsh

St. John's, Newfoundland

Why You Need Mary

Born and raised in St John’s, Newfoundland, Mary Walsh is known throughout Canada as an accomplished actress, comedian, political satirist and social activist.

Mary began her career in comedy by performing with the CODCO comedy troupe in stage shows that eventually led to a television series in 1987 on CBC. After the series ended in 1992, Mary teamed up with former CODCO co-stars Cathy Jones, Greg Thomey and fellow Newfoundlander Rick Mercer. Together, they formed This Hour Has 22 Minutes. The parody news program poked fun at Canadian and international politics and grew in popularity quickly. Mary’s most memorable character, Marg Delahunty became famous for ambushing politicians and submitting them to satirical interviews much to the delight of viewers across Canada.

Mary went on to pursue movie roles and has starred in a number of films such as Mambo Italiano, The Divine Ryans, and New Waterford Girl. She created a CBC program entitled Mary Walsh: Open Book in 2003 and hosted a segment for the documentary series The Greatest Canadian in which she championed for Sir Fredrick Banting (the Nobel prize-winning discoverer of insulin.) In 2007, Mary made her feature directorial debut with Young Triffie making her the first Newfoundlander in six years to have a film in general release across Canada.

As a sufferer of macular degeneration, she has been the spokesperson for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB,) and despite her busy film and television schedule, Mary still continues to support and act for charitable organizations all across Canada such as Oxfam and Pride Toronto.

She is the winner of over thirty Gemini Awards both for her writing and performances. Among her many awards and doctorates, Mary is also the recipient of the Order of Canada.